In a Private Light: Diana Walker’s Photos of Steve Jobs

2 minute read
Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
By Diana Walker

I first met Steve Jobs on a photo shoot for TIME in 1982. I had no idea that he was going to be my friend or that he was going to be this incredible genius — a part of all our lives, in what we do and what we see. He was speaking to a group of Stanford students in a dorm living room, and it was hard to photograph him there and not be in the way. You had to have light, and I was creeping around. But he was game. I asked him to stand on top of an Apple sign, and he did it. I asked him to stand in front of an Apple cutout (which ended up on the cover of Fortune magazine), and he did that too. I thought, This is you. This is who you are.

He was so much fun because he was so quick — he was such a fast study. You showed him anything and he could get it in a second. I was always fascinated by his design sense. It was wonderful because he liked my pictures.

I really will miss his inventiveness, his ideas, his eyes — and how bright he was all over. He had some kind of electricity about him. He was very, very focused in the office. He demanded a lot of the people who worked for him. I’m sure Steve wasn’t the easiest person to work for, but what a fascinating person to work for.

Diana Walker was TIME’s White House photographer for 20 years, where she captured intimate moments with five Presidents.

Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs has a laugh with John Lasseter of Pixar in the animation studio's headquarters.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs told photographer Walker that this 1997 image with his wife Laurene at their Palo Alto, Calif., home was one of his favorites.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs sits in his Woodside, Calif., home in 1982.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs with the Lisa, an early — and revolutionary — Apple computer, in 1982. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs prepares for a Macworld keynote speech in which he would announce a major deal with Bill Gates.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs presides over a lunchtime huddle with his design team at Apple's headquarters in 1982.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs puts in a day at the office before heading to Boston's 1997 Macworld Expo.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs delivers remarks at Boston's 1997 Macworld Expo.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Lying on the floor after a long day, Jobs finalizes a deal with Bill Gates over the phone, whereby Microsoft would purchase $150 million worth of Apple stock.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME
Jobs in his home office in December 2004, the last time Walker ever photographed him.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com